


Hurt to Heal

by Aaronna



Series: Soldier of Healing [4]
Category: Avatar: The Last Airbender
Genre: (duh), Accidental Bonding, Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Androgynous!Zuko, Bato adopts Spirit, Bonding over food, Cooking, Gen, Herbalist Zuko (Avatar), Inspired by MuffinLance's Tumblr page, No beta: we die like men, Physical Therapy, Pre-Episode: s01e15 Bato of the Water Tribe, Thank Thrushsong_kVaris for this, The quickest way to a man's heart is through his stomach, Uncle-Nephew Relationship, zuko is dramatic
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-09-17
Updated: 2020-09-17
Packaged: 2021-03-07 22:14:43
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,153
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26504989
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Aaronna/pseuds/Aaronna
Summary: Herbalist!Zuko AU - Pre-Episode: Bato of the Water TribeSpirit goes the the Abbey to help them with their patient and gains an uncle.
Relationships: Bato & Zuko (Avatar), Spirit & Bato (Avatar)
Series: Soldier of Healing [4]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1910278
Comments: 70
Kudos: 798





	Hurt to Heal

**Author's Note:**

  * For [MuffinLance](https://archiveofourown.org/users/MuffinLance/gifts), [Thrushsong_kVaris](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Thrushsong_kVaris/gifts).



> Thrushsong_kVaris left a comment on Mending What's Hurt that planted the seed for this story, so if you like this, thank them.

After what happened in the stronghold with Admiral Zhao, the Fire Nation soldiers were extra nice, helpful, and generous. There weren't fights and bickering among those being treated, they all helped any way they could, and they always left more goods than agreed on as payment. Spirit assumed it was their way of apologizing for the jerk calling him and his family derogatory terms and giving him the blackeye, the Herbalist made joking comments about possible suitors, but Miyuki said it was them paying tribute to their savior in hopes of continued peace.

Given she had yet to lie or lead him astray, he accepted the healing spirit's explanation and acted accordingly. Spirit was sure to go out of his way to better their lives and help the area flourish as he had for the last three years. He must have made them happy, because when the letter came, asking for one of them to travel to an Earth Kingdom Abbey to help with their burn patient, most of the Pohuai Stronghold's men and women volunteered to escort him there.

When word of that got out, local earthbenders and citizens offered go with him as well. Spirit smiled patiently at them all and declined their offers, insisting they were more needed where they were, but if they could help out the Herbalist in his absence, he would be in their debt. The boy watched as Miyuki twitched her tail in amusement at the way each of them looked so determined.

Usually, Spirit would have packed only the essentials, but his patron kept adding items to his pack. Never one to distrust Miyuki, he ended up packing all of his belongings and a fairly large bag of supplies that would last him a few weeks. That should have been enough to clue him in on what was about to happen, but he wasn't the brightest flame sometimes. 

It only took him a few days by ostrichhorse to get to the abbey where the sisters treated him kindly. The same couldn't be said of his patient, but given his injuries, it wasn't unexpected. Burns were unpleasant at the best of times, but Spirit just wished he hadn't been saddle sore when the Watertribe warrior had attacked him, it would have saved them both pain.

His bruised backside was nothing compared to the aggravated scars and burns rolling around on the floor had caused Bato, but he used it to his advantage. Watertribe warriors always treated women well, so Spirit played the poor, scared and pained healer girl. It worked like a charm. 

Soon enough, he had the man coated in salve, dosed with tea for the pain and infection, and covered in bandages. The nuns seemed amused and slightly baffled by it all, but they helped when the Bato asked for supplies for making an apology meal. The man seemed amazed when Spirit talked him into resting while the healer cooked.

After Kinto had been healed years ago, he had shown Spirit how they ate in the Southern Watertribe. Ever since, the boy had cooked those dishes for any warriors dressed in blue that ended up in his care. Bato was no exception. 

It wasn't much, but sea prune stew and seaweed buns did their job. The injured man fell asleep with a smile on his face. Spirit just hoped it stayed this easy to treat the warrior. 

'(•V•)'

Sister Lua was not sure what to think of the young healer who had come at Mother Superior's request. He was very feminine, with fine features, knee length hair, and robes that were cut more for a woman than a boy, but he seemed to be fine with that. This was useful to them all when their patient saw the boy's eyes were golden.

The boy went from a strong, independent young man to a meek girl in a heartbeat. It was an act very few could pull off. If she hadn't known they were expecting a 16-year-old boy raised by the Healer of Taku she would have assumed she had misread the child and they were hosting a young lady of high breeding. 

Mister Bato went from wanting to maim the already scarred child to asking for the ingredients to make a meal in less than an hour. Lua had come by later to see the warrior resting comfortably while the boy, Spirit, cooked. The distinct smell of Watertribe cook sent her fleeing to find some perfume duty to complete to remove that pungent odor from her nose.

The next day, the two seemed to spend the whole day talking, doing light exercises to get the scars used to movement, and eating. The talking seemed focused on the people they had encountered, both having had interesting lives the past few years. The exercises were highly controlled by Spirit, who seemed to have Mister Bato wrapped around his finger, and were more stretches and walks than anything else. The food was an issue though. 

It ranged from fermented fish to congee. Some of the dishes were traditional Earth Kingdom, others smelled of Watertribe, but a few were disguised Fire Nation foods. Sister Lua was uneasy about the boy's safety if it came out he was a boy or that he knew things about his homeland. 

It took a few days, but the reaction wasn't explosive as she had feared, but quiet and depressive. She didn't know what happened, only that they had been telling stories and laughing the night before and now they both looked as though someone had died. She was once again baffled as she watched the boy walk through the courtyard in pants and a tunic for the first time since she met him less than a week before.

'(•V•)'

He had known the sisters had sent for another healer, he knew one was coming, but Bato hadn't expected them to be Fire Nation. The kid was on the ground before he could really think about the fact he had just attacked an unarmed girl. She rolled away from where they had tumbled with a whine, and stared at him with golden eyes wide behind tangled black hair. She couldn't be older than 16.

He was surprised at how quickly she forgave him, as though this happened all the time. Guilt had him doing as she said as she treated his burns. Given the burn on her own face, his outburst was likely mild compared to what she had been through.

Bato requested the ingredients that Hakoda had sent for him be brought to his room while the girl was off unpacking, but she returned just as the sister bringing the sea prunes left. He didn't tell her he had planned on cooking to show he was sorry about hurting her, which was why she ended up cooking instead of him. He didn't even have to tell her what he had planned to cook or help her at all. She knew how to stew the Watertribe delicacy.

His face must have shown his surprise, because he got to hear about the different tribesmen she had helped and cooked for. Turned out, her name was Spirit and she was the ward of the healer the sisters had contacted. He also found out his attack had been Expected and had only succeeded because she wasn't used to riding. 

That night, for the first time since he had been burned, his dreams were pleasant and in the morning, he felt immensely better. It must have shown because Spirit pushed his body as far as he thought it could go and further. The walking and talking at the same time left his lungs aching, the stretches burned his muscles and set off twinges of extreme pain through his injuries without reopening anything. Thankfully, she distracted him from how weak his body had gotten with an assortment of food she had learned to make.

At the end of the day, she would tell him a bit more about herself as she redressed his burns before they turned in for the night. Her missing mother, gone in the night leaving her and her sister alone with their abusive father, having had etiquette beaten into her for as long as she could remember, her love for small animals, how her sister became a smaller version of their father, being thrown out to die in a battle between Fire and Earth, about being taken in by a mad woman and her cat. He wasn't sure how or when, but Bato realized he had been wrong.

Spirit wasn't a 16-year-old girl from the colonies who had lived in an abusive home until they were tossed aside to die. No, He wasn't. Spirit was a young man who had tried to measure up to his wonderfully talented sister, who wanted his father's approval, who was sent off to fight too young so he wasn't in his sister's way only to finally see his father had been wrong. Spirit not being a girl wasn't a big deal in Bato's mind, just the thoughts that followed.

The issue was that Spirit was a mirror image of Sokka in many ways. Katara, the last waterbender in the South, was eerily similar to La La, the favored child. Both lost their mothers much too young and their sisters took it personally. They both just wanted their father's praise, but ended up far away from the men. Did Sokka feel about Hakoda like Spirit did about his father? Bato prayed not.

He had been lost in thought that night, worrying about the niece and nephew he hadn't seen in 3 years when Spirit bid him goodnight. It was a slip up calling him Sokka, one he wouldn't have realized if it wasn't for Spirit's reaction. He knew the name.

Imagine you grew up believing the Avatar was a spirit tale, only to be told the Bridge Between Worlds was real, alive, and a 12-year-old airbender child. Not only that, but the kids you left behind at the Pole were with said Avatar. And then, he healer he had been growing fond of said he knew them because they had been in a terrible storm and got very sick and feverish. It left both of them in a sad mood in the morning.

The plus side was that now that Spirit was no longer worried about him hurting himself fighting the boy, he traded the heavy robe for pants and a shirt. At that moment, Bato couldn't see the healer, all he saw was a proud young warrior. The pride he felt right then was just as strong as that he felt for Sokka and Katara.

He had known he was going to burn and had accepted his time had come. Now, he was glad he had burned and survived. If he had died, he would have abandoned those kids, he would have never learned there was hope for an end to the war, and he would never have met Spirit.

After Kya, he had promised himself he would never bond with anyone like that again, but that vow was in the wind now. He just hoped Hakoda and the kids were fine with there being a new addition to the family. It would be painful, but growing pains were a good thing, especially in a family. 

'(•V•)' 

Spirit hadn't planned on getting attached, but he had, and he clearly wasn't the only one. Bato had called him Sokka. It was just his luck that the last three watertribe members were related. Bato had reminded him of Uncle and it was too late to stop. 

Maybe it was the understanding way he nodded that he understood when he really didn't? Maybe it was the war stories? Was it the love of good food? Bato definitely made him feel safe like Uncle had, was that all it took? 

He must have had a similar effect on the Watertribe warrior for him to get called Bato's nephew's name. He couldn't think of anything he noticed about the boy that made them similar, but he had only been around him for a single evening. He hadn't even known the man knew he was a boy, but here they were, sitting awkwardly across from each other missing family that was far away.

He wasn't sure what made him do it, but he didn't put on his herbalist robe that morning. Instead, he donned his sparring outfit and walked with confidence across the abbey. He was done hiding. He was Spirit, son of Agni and Miyuki, child of Fire and Earth. 

Like rebreaking a bone, sometimes you need to hurt in order to heal. If he had finally ripped off the scab of forgetting and let his festering longing and remorse come out in big, fat tears, good. Healing hurts. It was a fact of life and Spirit knew he could handle it now.


End file.
